HOOVER – Ole Miss ran through the first of 2014 as the hottest team in the country.

A program-altering win over Alabama caught the attention of the nation, and all eyes were on The Grove as the Rebels jumped out to a 7-0 start. But close losses and injuries caused Ole Miss to stumble through the end of the year, winning just two of its last four.

Now a year older, a year wiser and all healthy, Ole Miss is looking forward to staring 2015 with a clean slate.

“We had a lot of injuries last year, just from Laquon (Treadwell), Denzel (Nkemdiche), Laremy (Tunsil), Aaron Morris, it was tough. But it feels good. It feels like we’re refreshed, we hit the refresh button,” junior tight end Evan Engram said. “We’ve got a lot of great opponents this year, and we’re ready to hit it full speed.”

The crushing blow to the Rebels wasn’t the 10-7 loss at LSU that broke the streak, it was the next week against Auburn.

A back-and-forth-battle between the No. 3 Tigers and No. 4 Rebels ended in heartbreak. Receiver Laquon Treadwell looked as if he scored the game-winning touchdown with 1:30 to play, but replay showed when Auburn linebacker Kris Frost pulled Treadwell down — breaking his leg and dislocating his ankle in the process — that the ball came loose before Treadwell crossed the goal line.

In an instant, Ole Miss lost its best player and championship hopes. It was too much to overcome.

“Now that you look back on it, I kind of don’t think we did (recover). I think losing him was really hard for our offense. You could tell at times where we struggled to get things going, struggled to find a way when it was tough,” senior linebacker C.J. Johnson said. “But we found a way to win an emotional rivalry game, we just couldn’t pull through in the bowl game. We’re going to try to bounce back this year, we’ll be better.”

After Treadwell went down, Ole Miss beat up on Presbyterian, and then lost 30-0 at Arkansas. A 31-17 win over then No. 4 and rival Mississippi State looked to have the Rebels turned around, but an embarrassing 42-3 loss to TCU in the Peach Bowl has stuck with them throughout the offseason.

“We use it as motivation during workouts. Everybody knows we’re not trying to end the season that same way,” senior defensive back Mike Hilton said. “It’s something that we’ve been harping on. If you’re tired, or you’re not finishing a rep, just think TCU. So it’s really been a motivation for us.”

The season didn’t end how Ole Miss thought it would after starting 7-0, but it wasn’t a total loss. It was the third straight season the Rebels increased their win total, and proves coach Hugh Freeze has the program on the rise as he heads into his fourth season.

“I look at the big picture, and if in a short three years, we’re playing in a New Year’s Six Bowl, beat some of the top teams in the nation, won some nine games, that’s really for me on the right track, and that’s what I would use to focus on for me,” Freeze said. “We’re extremely excited about embracing the expectations in year four. We welcome those. … We want to focus on moment by moment, day by day, preparing for the opportunities that come our way, and we believe that if we can stay healthy and get a break here or there, we will be a factor in who decides the SEC West.”